His first meeting with Brian Vera came Feb. 4, 2011, in Fort Worth. It was Super Bowl weekend, but there was nothing super about the night for Sergio Mora.

Not only did Mora fight without his trainer in his corner, he fought in a small ring, with used gloves and in Vera's home state.

At 163 pounds, it was the heaviest Mora had ever weighed for a bout.

Looking back, Mora is not surprised he ended up losing a split decision to Vera in their first meeting, an outcome he disputes to this day.

“I wouldn't say I got robbed,” Mora said. “I made it a close fight when it shouldn't have been. But I thought I did enough to win.”

Mora (23-2-2, 7 KOs), an East Los Angeles native best known for winning “The Contender” reality series title in 2005, gets a second chance today at the Alamodome's Illusions Theatre when he meets Vera (20-6, 12 KOs) in a rematch of their earlier meeting.

The fight — 12 rounds for the vacant NABO middleweight title — highlights an eight-bout pro card that begins at 7 p.m., right after the completion of a 20-bout amateur slate that starts at 4.

Spanish-language station TeleFutura will televise the pro main event and co-feature it on a tape-delayed basis at 11 p.m.

Not surprisingly, Vera saw the first meeting vs. Mora a little differently.

“I thought I won unanimously,” he said. “He was coming off a fight with Shane Mosley (a draw). He said he won that one, too.

“I guess that's what he does — complain. He's just a bitter guy.”

Vera, 30, a 2007 cast member on “The Contender” and an Austin resident, has a new trainer in Ronnie Shields of Houston. The two have been “working on some surprises” for his opponent this time around. But Vera, 2-1 since his win over Mora, said he won't change his aggressive style.

“I'm still going to apply a lot of pressure like I always do,” he said.

Mora, 31, said his trainer, Dean Campos, will be back in his corner for this fight. The gloves and the ring won't be an issue this time, either.

And the contracted weight is 160 — Mora has never lost at 160 pounds (he weighed in Friday at 159½; Vera tipped the scales at 159¾).